Storm part of system that produced tornadoes and flooding in U.S.
Many Canadians are getting their first real taste of winter as a storm sweeps through Ontario and Quebec following an unusually warm Christmas.
Environment Canada has freezing rain warnings in place for portions of southern Ontario, including the Bruce Peninsula and areas around Lake Simcoe.
Weather Network meteorologist Jaclyn Whittal said the risk of freezing rain will diminish into Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures are forecast to warm, with Toronto projected to hit 6 C.
While over three centimetres of snow fell in the Toronto area, Hamilton received about seven hours of freezing rain, while the London area had it for eight hours, Whittal said.
Much of eastern Ontario, along with areas including Sudbury and North Bay, remain under winter storm warnings.
Ottawa could see 10 to 20 centimetres of snow fall today, Environment Canada says.
Southern Quebec is also under a winter storm warning. Areas including Montreal and Gatineau could get anywhere from 15 to 40 centimetres of snow by Tuesday evening.
For Montreal, the arrival of the storm marks the first real test of the city’s new centralized snow removal policy, which was introduced this past summer.
The storm hitting Ontario and Quebec is part of a system that producing tornadoes and flooding in the U.S. Midwest and Southwest. More than 40 people were killed during the Christmas holidays, including 11 in the Dallas area when twisters hit.
Winter weather is also expected to affect portions of Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick. Snowfall warnings and winter storm watches were in place in both provinces.
Traffic problems
In Toronto, a few hours of snow was followed by ice pellets and then rain, leaving roadways choked with slush.
According to OPP and Toronto police, there were nearly 100 collisions in the Greater Toronto Area overnight related to the weather. None of them resulted in serious injuries. Dozens more collisions were reported on Tuesday morning.
Many flights were delayed or cancelled at Toronto’s Pearson airport. Airport officials said operations were running normally on Tuesday morning, but travellers were told to check their flight status with their airline or at torontopearson.com.
Via Rail said all trains in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor region, and between Halifax and Montreal, are operating normally, with minimal delays.
However, many flights in and out of Montreal’s Trudeau airport were delayed or cancelled this morning.
Source: cbc.ca
